No Reply
by Misura
Summary: Can one drunken phone-call change a relationship? [SetoJoey]
1. Beginning

No reply

x

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, slightly weird, hints at alcohol abuse, bad language, ooc.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'No reply' is taken from the anime 'Cowboy Bebop', words by Tim Jensen.

written at 14th december 2003, by Misura

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_/Like the perfect ending  
__It won't be too long/_

He was drunk. The fact that he couldn't count the amount of bottles that were scattered all over the floor of the apartment proved that. Oddly enough, he didn't feel very happy. Perhaps another glass would fix that though.

Or maybe not. He sighed, feeling depressed. Staring at the mess he had made of his life nearly made him physically ill. Unless that too came from the alcohol. Wasn't that stuff supposed to make one forget anyway, to allow an escape from reality?

It wasn't fair that it didn't work that way for him. He longed to forget, wished to grasp the sweet forgetfulness, to sleep unhaunted by dreams and memories. But, apparently, he wasn't going to get that this evening.

_/Till everything I've ruined has seen me gone  
__In time, I pray you'll forgive me/_

Rationally, he knew he might as well stop poisoning his body. Perhaps if he did so, he might even manage to pick up some of the pieces of his life, make afresh start, meet new friends, get a job ...

He had told himself that too many times now. It never worked out. There was always something that sent him spiralling downwards again, reminding him of what he had had, what he had lost. Nothing and no one could ever replace that, so why would he bother trying?

There were people who still believed in him, who would want him to keep fighting, but it was too hard. They couldn't understand him, no matter how hard they tried. They simply didn't know what it was like, to lose someone so precious to you. He hoped they never would either.

_/Now you know the man I am  
__Can you forgive me?/_

He didn't remember opening another can of beer, but he wasn't going to let it go to waste by not drinking it. What did one more matter anyway, next to the six he had already downed? Leafing through the phone-book (when did he grab -that-?) he sought for a number.

It wasn't there. Naturally. How like -him- not to have his phone-number listed in such a public place. Still, he really needed to tell the other something. What, exactly, had slipped his mind for the moment, but he was sure he'd remember when the time was there.

Thinking for a moment, he pulled out a thin booklet from under the phone with a triumphant grin. Of course! He should have recalled that being there sooner. It was just that his mind seemed a bit fuzzy right now. Ah well, never mind that.

_/I fall  
__Like the sands of time/_

His fingers trembled slighty as he punched in the numbers. He suddenly felt nervous, no longer sure if this was such a smart thing to do. It had seemed a good idea when it had popped up in his head, only ... wel, his head wasn't too clear currently.

If this phone-call would ruin what he had hoped to accomplish, he would never be able to forgive himself. He had done more than enough damage as it was, in never being there when his presence might have helped.

Maybe he should hang up now, end this conversation before it had started. Perhaps it was better to have this talk when he was sober and not -

_/Like some broken rhyme  
__At feet no longer there/_

Too late.

"Seto Kaiba." The voice on the other end of the line sounded annoyed. Nothing new in that. He shouldn't feel offended by it, shouldn't sense that hostility as being directed at him personally. Although there were days when he felt like he deserved it.

"Who is this? I haven't got all day." No, he imagined Seto Kaiba was quite a busy man, practically leading a major corporation single-handedly. Not a person who had much time for silly little things like being in love or spending some time with a friend. If he had any friends at all, that was. Seto Kaiba didn't exactly have the reputation of being social.

_/If only I could call the rain to melt and wash away the pain you feel  
__I would/_

"My son's in love with you." He wondered why he was whispering the words, as if they were a shameful secret he wasn't supposed to pass on. "My son's in love with you, you bastard, and all you ever do is make his life hell! What kind of sick jerk are you?"

"Listen, Mr. Wheeler ... I really don't have the time for this." The tired politeness surprised him somewhat, as did the fact that the other apparently had recognized him. Or, more likely, had recognized the number that belonged to the caller, shown on the screen of his cell-phone.

"The least you could do is being civil. Or just ignoring him, I don't care. What's so hard about that, huh, Mister CEO? Do you get off on ruining other people's lifes? Do you think it's fun to toy with my son's heart?"

_/You gave yourself to me and showed me what the truth could be  
__For that, I say thank you/_

(Kaiba blinked, staring at the phone in his hand without a single clue on how to reply to those accusations. His first impulse was to hang up, end this conversation that would gain him nothing anyway. The man was obviously drunk. His words therefore could safely be ignored.

Aside from that ... he turned his head to look at the person lying next to him, who was studying him with hazy, honey-brown eyes, that showed a sparkle of curiosity. "Who is it? Mokuba wanting you to come and chase the monster that's hiding under his bed?"

Kaiba shook his head, with a slight smile. "Not this time. It's your father, yelling at me for not noticing you have a crush on me."

"You've got to be kidding me.")

_/This was my life  
__It never made much sense to me/_

Seconds crept by without a reply. And he was beginning to feel rather silly too, starting to doubt if Joey would really appreciate him doing this. Regardless of appearances, he did care about the boy. He had intended to help him by making this call.

Yet there was that saying about the road to hell. He had said what he had wanted to say, so now he might as well hang up and put an end to this useless conversation. It was very unlikely he'd be able to change the mind of Seto Kaiba, high and mighty CEO of Kaiba Corp. after all. He meant nothing to the man, probably even less than that. Much less than Joey, at any rate.

Who hadn't even called a greeting as he had come home this afternoon. Or had it been evening already? His memory was a bit sketchy on the exact time of Joey's arrival. Not that it mattered much. The only thing that did matter was that Joey was safe and sound asleep in his room right now. And he wouldn't let anyone hurt his son.

-tbc-


	2. Middle

No reply

xx

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, slightly weird, ooc, hints at alcohol abuse.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'No reply' is taken from the anime 'Cowboy Bebop', words by Tim Jensen.

written at 14th december 2003, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the first chapter of this:

To Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: Thank you!

To Bardicsidhe: -blushes crimson- Thank you! I ah am afraid Joey's father kind of fades away for the rest of the fic, but I do like writing him, so it's encouraging to hear not everyone's out to see Joey getting abused by his dad. –smiles ruefully-

To Snow Angel: Sorry for confusing you a little. And the plot's quite simple, really. It's the same as for most of my other fics. –winks- Thank you!

To Suppis Tenshi: They lead to Puppyshipping, of course! –winks- Thank you!

To DarkShadowFlame: I don't want to spoil too much but … this fic's headed for a Christmassy ending. Because it's me who wrote it. –grins- Thank you!

To Vapid B.: Thank you! I hope it'll remain as problem-less, but I fear it won't. –coughblushes-

To SilverWing147: I'm glad to hear you liked it! I hope you'll enjoy the second chapter too.

To Lil-riter: If you feel bad for him, I've accomplished my goal. –winks- No, really, so many people seem to hate his character, I just wanted to write something positive about him. Thank you!

To ChibiSerenity3: Ah, but I never said –whose- relationship was going to change, did I? (I actually meant the father-son-relationship.) Besides, Kaiba and Joey aren't in –that- good a relationship. As you'll find out in this chapter.

To yugioh-girl-angie: Thank you!

To Sami: Basically, Joey's father gets drunk and calls Kaiba to accuse him of not knowing Joey has a crush on him. And Kaiba answers the phone while he's in bed with Joey. (Yeah, I guess it is kind of weird. Sorry for confusing you.)

To Icy Flame: Mr. Wheeler is, I'm afraid, too drunk to do anything more in this fic. –looks unhappy- Thank you!

To Killian: Thanks, I'll do my best.

To Sandykins: You're not the only one. Thank you!

To Elusia: Thank you!

To Yume Takato: Thank you, I'll do my best.

To Macbeth's Mistress: -points to her reply to Sami- Sorry for making it so confusing.

To Aramis-chan: I hope this chapter will satisfy your curiosity. –smiles- Thank you!

To FREAK014: Don't worry, I like Joey's dad too much to make him a stalker. -winks- Thank you!

xxxxxxxxxxx

_/With every lie that I lived  
Part of me would fade/_

His first thought was that Kaiba was making some sort of joke. But his lover wasn't exactly known for his sense of humor and besides, the phone-call had come at a rather ... inconvenient moment. It wasn't very likely Kaiba would prolong the interruption by goofing around about it.

"Well, pup? Am I treating you so bad?" The way Kaiba was eyeing him didn't help much to keep his head clear. He mutely shook his head, both in reply to the question and to signal he needed some time to think, without Kaiba pouncing on him.

"Can I talk to him?" He held out his hand, Kaiba placing the receiver in it with a careless shrug. A monotonous beep told him it was too late. Joey sighed. He guessed he'd have to go home to get any kind of explanation. If he wanted to hear one, that was. If his father'd be able to talk to him instead of passed out from the alcohol and hadn't forgotten why he had called Kaiba. If said Kaiba would agree to let him go without an argument Joey didn't feel up to right now.

A whole lot of 'if's. Perhaps he just ought to let it go, pretend it had never happened and concentrate on more important things. More pressing things. After all, it didn't happen that often that Kaiba allowed himself to take an entire evening off.

_/Into this empty shadow I've become  
And now I feel so numb/_

"I wonder how your father got my private number," Kaiba mumbled. He wore a pensive expression, which Joey had come to dread as the 'I know you're not going to like this, but it's for your own good'-face. Even Mokuba never managed to talk Kaiba out of something when his big brother was in a mood like that.

"Maybe he got it from my address-book. It's usually lying under the phone so ... " Kaiba was giving him a look that made him feel like he was extraordinary stupid. "What? That's a perfectly normal place for it."

"For a mutt who keeps forgetting things and whose room is in a constant mess, yes," Kaiba snorted, apparently not in the least bothered by the murderous glare that was sent in his direction.

"I never forget the important stuff," Joey protested sharply as well as a little hurt that Kaiba thought of him so lowly still. Of course, he didn't expect to have the man sing his praises, only because they slept together, but ...

_/I no longer know myself  
But I still know you/_

"Dates with me are more important than your homework? Coming to bug me in my office while I'm supposed to be working instead of doing your history-project is your idea of setting proper priorities?" Kaiba shook his head. "Family's important, pup. I thought that you'd have told him about us by now."

"Half the time he doesn't even remember he has a son. And when he does recognize me, he's mad at me for reminding him that Mom and Shizuka aren't living with us anymore." Joey sounded bitter. "He doesn't care about me. So why would I tell him his son's sleeping with another guy? It'd just give him another reason to hate me."

"Yelling that I'm not good enough for you doesn't sound like the action of someone who doesn't care to me," Kaiba remarked, rising to grab his clothes. Joey stared at him in silence, while the CEO got dressed. He didn't quite understand why Kaiba seemed to be annoyed with him for repeating statements he had made often enough before. Kaiba'd even seemed to agree with him, agreeing with his anger at his father for never being there.

_/I call  
And there's no reply/_

"Where do you think you're going?" Joey demanded, as Kaiba strode to the door without another word or even a look in his direction. "What the heck's wrong with you tonight? All right, so maybe I should've told him, never mind that he might kick me out for it."

"I've got some work left that can't wait for tomorrow. You might as well go home. I probably won't be in a state to appreciate any company when I'm done," Kaiba replied coldly, exiting the room before Joey could protest. That he didn't slam the door behind him didn't lessen Joey's feeling that Kaiba was no longer in a mood that was even remotely relaxed.

"Yeah, and a good night to you too," Joey muttered, sinking back into the bed with a sigh. Without Kaiba there to snuggle up to, he felt out of place in it. Besides, Kaiba had as good as ordered him to leave. While Joey was pretty sure the CEO wouldn't mind finding him still here after having finished with whatever project that had put him so on edge, he refused to act like some loyal dog. If Kaiba chose to kick him and then expected Joey to come crawling back for more, he was dead wrong.

_/Like some phantom cry  
On ears too far away/_

"Did you and Seto have a fight or something?" Mokuba inquired with eyes both sleepy and worried. "I heard him storming to his office a few seconds ago. I thought you two had a date."

"So did I," Joey answered. The two of them were sitting in the living room, after Mokuba had intercepted Joey on his way out. "But Kaiba had a different idea."

"And you just let him get away with that?" Mokuba scowled. "Why didn't you stand up for yourself? If you keep letting him rule your life, your relationship will never ever work out. You're supposed to be his lover, not one of his employees who cowers for him!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Joey defended himself. "You're someone he loves."

_/I close my eyes and watch as my life passes by  
The only thing I see is you/_

_"You know, Kaiba, I think I might be in love with you," Joey declared. He felt rather light-headed that evening, especially after their previous activities. Normally, he knew he probably would never have brought up this subject. _

_"Oh?" Kaiba turned his face away from him, gazing out of the window. His tone indicated that he didn't care to take this discussion any further, that he'd prefer Joey to drop the implied question of whether or not his feelings for Joey might exceed the simple 'not quite hate anymore' that he had voiced at the start of their relationship._

_"And I was kind of wondering ... " His voice trailed off, not quite finding the words to continue. On one hand, he did want to press Kaiba for a straight answer. On the other hand though ... perhaps it was better not to know._

_"Don't." Kaiba rounded on him, so fast he almost panicked for a moment, his instincts screaming at him to back away. Not that he could go anywhere, lying on Kaiba's bed, in Kaiba's bedroom, on the second floor of Kaiba's house. _

_/For all the times you walked the line for me and standing by my side  
I say thank you/_

_"Kaaaibaaa." He did try not to moan, to tell his body not to react to Kaiba's touch. Not that it helped much. After all, if he'd been strong enough to resist Kaiba, he wouldn't be here in the first place. _

_Trailing soft kisses down Joey's chest, Kaiba looked up. "What is it, puppy?"_

_Joey shook his head, trying to clear it enough to form coherent thoughts aside from the desire for Kaiba's hands not to stop what they were doing, aside from the longing for Kaiba's mouth to be placed back where it had been only seconds before._

_"Nothing." It was a cowardly reply, he knew. But at least it gained him his two earlier wishes. He told himself that was enough for the moment. That he didn't care that Kaiba was using seduction as a way to manipulate him, trick him into not protesting against the hated nickname._

_Enjoying himself was enough. Love would, -could- only complicate things between him and Kaiba._

_/Here lies my life  
It never felt that real to me/_

_Later that night, he sensed Kaiba rising to leave, probably to do some more work. He was too sleepy to protest, though he did manage a soft, discontented mewl. He didn't really expect Kaiba to stay because of it. In fact, he didn't expect to receive a reaction at all._

_The sensation of soft lips being pressed to his forehead surprised him. It hardly was an action he'd consider characteristic for Kaiba. At least, not around anyone else but his little brother. There was nothing carnal or demanding about the kiss. Just a sense of tenderness and caring._

_"Poor confused puppy. It's just sex. Nothing more."_

_As the door softly fell shut behind Kaiba, Joey began to shiver in spite of the warm blankets surrounding him._

-to be concluded in the third part-


	3. Ending

No reply

xxx

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, slightly weird, hints at alcohol abuse, oocness.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'No reply' is taken from the anime 'Cowboy Bebop', words by Tim Jensen.

written at 18th december 2003, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the second chapter:

To Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: Thank you! I hope this last part won't disappoint either.

To Flame Swordswoman: Thank you! I had a great Christmas, though I didn't get on-line much. Hence the late update. –blushes-

To Ryuueiki: Original? Thank you! I don't think it's very original, really … but it's good to hear you don't think it's boring.

To Killian: … What about his father? No sympathy for him? –smiles hopefully-

To Amonae: Well, it's Kaiba. Admitting he likes –that- aspect of their relationship is a big step already for him, I think. Thank you!

To the moon at twilight: Thank you! (Also for that bunch of other reviews you gave me.)

To Reppu: You can blame the lyrics for the length; I just had to make it three chapters. –nods sagely- And I'm glad to hear you liked the additions, rather than feeling they were superfluous or something. Thank you!

To destiny: One happy ending, coming up. Thanks!

To MotherCHOW Goddess: Yup. Don't I always write Kaiba like that? –sweatdrops- It must be getting a bit boring by now … Thanks for reviewing!

To DarkShadowFlame: Hmmm, I do tend to be a bit unkind to characters, I guess. Though I partially blame the lack of fluff on the song; it's not a very happy one. Thank you! And Mokuba will do some more counseling in this chapter. It runs into the family … -smiles-

To FREAK014: Ah, but maybe Kaiba's changed a bit. And maybe he had his reasons for acting like that, who knows. Thank you!

To ChibiSerenity3: Semi-happy, I guess. Though you can pretend it's all happy, if you like. –winks- Thank you!

To RaineKitsune: Heh. I know that feeling only … somehow I always end up keeping some stuff in store. Partially because I write mostly when I'm off-line, so then I save the fic and forget about until I'm cleaning out my hard-disk. –coughblushes- Thank you!

To Glue Project: You have a good point there … I guess I simply assumed he'd spot it due to Joey not being a very subtle or introvert person. If that makes any sense? Thank you!

To Sami: Well, Kaiba's just … Kaiba. I hope this last chapter will make you like him a bit more. –winks- Thank you!

To Fiery Kitty: Since you said 'please' … naw, I'd already written the ending to be happy. Thank you!

To Yami No Marik: Yeah, Kaiba can be the voice of stupidity, can't he? –winks- Thank you!

To YumeTakato: I did my best, thanks!

To mystery me: Uh oh. I hope this ending will have you smiling. Thank you!

To SilverWing147: You guessed correctly! You win … this chapter? –winks- Thank you!

To Icy Flame: Kaiba's actions were actually meant to be something else than 'stomping on Joey', but I guess 'things not being what they seem to be at first' is somewhat of a central theme of this fic. Kaiba isn't the only one in denial; Joey's image of both his father and his lover is clouded too. I hope this chapter will clear up at least a few things though. Joey's father finding out about Joey's crush is something that I kind of used as a symptom of Joey's lack of clarity; his father's less oblivious than he assumes. Also, I just don't picture Joey as the type of person who's subtle and introvert enough to hide his crush for someone he sees daily. Especially not if that crush has resulted in an actual relationship.  
Thank you very much!

To allyson: Thank you, I did my best.

To Macbeth's Mistress: Thanks!

To CaptainInuyasha777: -winks- I hope you'll be less forgetful with tests at school. Thank you!

To Snow Angel: -bows- Thank you! I hope you won't mind me fluffing him up a little then …

To YaoiYaoiYeah: Eep! I mean, wow, thank you! –beams-

(!) Scene switches at every song-fragment.  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_/You'll always mean so much to me  
__And there's no reply/_

Kaiba couldn't say what had caused him to turn his head to stare out of the window, to see a blonde person hurrying away through the soft rain. Willing him to look back just once, Kaiba's gaze followed Joey until the other rounded a corner and disappeared.

He sighed, wearily shaking his head, trying to refocus on the meaningless letters and numbers on the screen of his computer. Well, they weren't exactly meaningless, of course. If he'd interpret them the wrong way, made the wrong decision because of them, the results for Kaiba Corporation wouldn't be very good. So it was important to keep his mind clear.

Dwelling on Joey and the accusations of some foolish drunkard who didn't know anything about him at all was a senseless activity, one he couldn't afford. It was true that he thought Joey ought to make a bit more of an effort to talk with his father while he still had the chance, but saving the mutt's family-life definitely wasn't worth breaking up with him.

What little time he had to spend with Joey, he preferred to be spent on more useful things than to make up after an argument.

_/And there's no reply  
__You'll never know how much you meant to me/_

It wasn't raining very hard. Just enough to make Joey's clothing go a little damp, to feel small drops of water gather in his hair before sliding down his neck. Just enough to justify walking faster than normal, without feeling like he was fleeing.

He chuckled bitterly, realizing how his home had turned from the place he wanted to stay away from into the place he considered to be 'safe'. Ironic, really. Would his father have known his drunken call was going to affectKaiba the way it seemed to have? Was this some sort of scheme, an attempt to pull him out of the clutches of evil?

His father had never seemed much like the type who'd approve of his son messing around with someone of the same gender. Then again, it wasn't as if he'd ever commented on Joey never getting a girlfriend either, while Honda seemed to have a new one every time he dropped by for a visit. So maybe his father simply didn't care. Though Kaiba didn't seem to think so ...

"And what does -he- know? Who does he think he is anyway, telling me how to live my life? Like -he- would know anything about it!" Joey kicked at a pebble, feeling a little better after having taken out his annoyance on something. A few seconds later, his foot began to hurt. And the rain had started to fall heavier.

_/If only I could call the rain to melt and wash away the pain you feel  
__I would/_

Giving up the pretense to be working, Kaiba shut down his computer and went downstairs. He wasn't surprised to find Mokuba there, sitting in his favorite chair as if it wasn't in the middle of the night and way past his normal bed-time.

Somehow, Mokuba seemed to have developed a sixth sense that enabled him to know whenever Kaiba and Joey had had an argument. Which was another good reason why Kaiba tried to avoid causing those, tried to keep his tongue and limited his insults to the old nicknames, rather than coming up with new ones to which Joey might actually take offense.

"You and Joey had a fight," Mokuba declared, holding out a steaming cup of coffee. Kaiba accepted it with mixed feelings. Becoming more awake than he was didn't exactly sound like a good idea. He'd much prefer to crawl in bed and fall asleep right away.

"It wasn't my fault." Mokuba also had an uncanny talent for making him feel defensive. Perhaps it was because Mokuba's opinion mattered so much to him, more than Joey's or anyone else's. "He was just being stubborn and stupid about something."

_/You gave yourself to me and showed me what the truth could be  
__For that, I say thank you/_

Not a single light was burning in the house as he entered. The sound of his key being turned in the lock and the creak of the door seemed very loud, almost echoeing through the hallway. Hanging up his jacket, he headed for the stairs.

"Joey? Is that you?" Amazing. His father was still awake and able to speak. Plus, he was sufficiently aware of his surroundings to notice Joey's arrival. Though, apparently, not enough to put on some lights to chase the darkness.

"Yeah." He'd have preferred not to answer, to pretend tonight was just like any other night. But there was a fine line between holding on to illusions or masks and downright lying, and while Joey might be guilty of doing the first every now and then, the second went too much against what he believed in.

"Where've you been?" If he hadn't known better, he might have heard a bit of concern in his father's voice. A hint of true interest. Probably that was just his imagination though, running along with Kaiba's earlier words. And he'd already determined Kaiba knew nothing about this matter at all.

_/This was my life  
__It never made much sense to me/_

"Perhaps you should tell -him- that you love him, instead of me," Mokuba remarked, his tone carefully neutral. Which meant he was actually trying not to yell. Kaiba knew his little brother well enough to read his moods and this was hardly the first time they'd had this conversation. "Just one time. Is that so hard?"

"I tried to." It was the answer he always gave Mokuba. It was, in a way, the truth. He wasn't stupid or blind, after all. He -knew- that Joey needed to hear him say those words, if only once. And perhaps he needed it at least as much, to acknowledge to himself what he felt by saying it out loud.

"Maybe you should have tried a bit harder," Mokuba snapped, losing his temper. This too wasn't unexpected. Nor was the stab of guilt he felt at being the cause of it.

"I know." Again, true. Not that it helped much. Joey was gone now, out of reach. Kaiba wished he could be certain that Joey'd come clean with his father, that at least -some- good would come of this night, but he strongly doubted it.

"Then do something about it." Mokuba held out his cell-phone, its screen indicating Joey's number had already been rung. Kaiba was annoyed to see his hand trembling a little as he accepted it.

_/I close my eyes and watch as my life passes by  
__The only thing I see is you/_

The sound of the phone ringing kept Joey from having to come up with an explanation as to where he had been. Relieved, he continued on his way to the sanctuary of his own room, where his father would never come. Joey assumed that wasbecause walking stairscould bea tricky activity if one was drunk.

For some reason though, he found himself heading for the living-room instead. Perhaps it was mere curiosity to the identity of the late caller. As far as he knew, his father didn't have any friends. And Joey's friends knew better than to call to his house, aside from the fact that they were probably fast asleep at this hour.

Except for Kaiba, of course, who was probably still busy working on some stupid project that was more important than Joey. Besides, Kaiba could hardly be considered to be anyone's friend. Least of all Joey's.

His father stared at him with the weirdest of expressions when he strolled in, before picking up the phone, pressing the button that would allow Joey to hear the conversation as well. Joey had no idea why, but sat down anyway, in a seat near the door. That way, he could always rise to turn and walk away if this wasn't something he wanted to hear. Walking away was easy.

_/For all the times you walked the line for me and standing by my side  
__I say thank you/_

"Wheeler." A gruff voice, sounding distinctly unfriendly. For one absurd moment Kaiba wondered if tonight was 'be unpleasant to Seto Kaiba'-night. Then he realized the man on the other end of the line couldn't possibly know his identity. Mokuba's cell-phone-number was only known to himself, Kaiba and a few members of the staff.

"Mr Wheeler? I don't know if you remember but you called me earlier this evening ... " He really sounded like a pompous, snobbishCEO, Kaiba considered sourly. Maybe he should spend some more time with Mokuba and Joey. Or Yugi and his friends, even if their attempts at being friendly tended to get on his nerves. At least they treated him like a human being, instead of the almightyleader of Kaiba Corp.

"Yes, I remember." The tone had changed from merely 'unfriendly' to 'hostile'. Kaiba managed not to groan aloud. Mokuba had left the room to give him some privacy, meaning that in theory, he could simply hang up, but ... he'd come this far already.

_/You in my life  
__It all meant so much more to me/_

"You told me then that your son was in love with me. And I just wanted to say that I think I return his feelings. Good night." A soft click indicated that Kaiba had hung up and the line had gone dead.

His father made an odd sound. It took Joey a while to figure out the man was laughing and crying at the same time. Which was better than having him yelling that no son of his would be allowed to be gay, Joey supposed, even if it wasn't exactly what he'd call reassuring either.

Deciding that things were getting a bit too freaky and weird for his taste, Joey softly got up from his seat, only to be halted in the doorway by his father's next words.

"Son, we need to talk."

x

At the other side of town, Kaiba stared at the ceiling of his room, musing that his bed felt rather cold and empty without Joey in it, and wondered what it would have been like to have a real father.

OWARI


End file.
